The 2010 Forbes list of the world’s most powerful women has been released, and offers a few startling revelations—Lady Gaga is apparently more powerful than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Michelle Obama topped the list at No. 1 as the world’s most powerful woman, followed closely by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Oprah Winfrey. Lady Gaga made seventh place; Beyonce Knowles and Ellen DeGeneres were also in the top ten. Speaker Pelosi trailed at No. 11. Why the pop culture emphasis this year?

“One look at the 2010 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and it is clear that we've come up with a new ranking of the female power elite that reflects the New Order of now,” Forbes said in an article tied into the list. “When we set out to identify this year's list, we decided it was time to look up and out into the broader culture. Our assessment is based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship.” And meat dresses. Can’t forget the awesome meat dresses.

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Everybody’s been freaking out this week over a New Jersey newspaper and its decision to post—then pull—a same-sex wedding announcement. Now editorials in the paper say that decision may have been a bit hasty.

The New Jersey Jewish Standard was barraged by complaints from the traditional/orthodox Jewish community after running a wedding announcement for Avichai Smolen of New Milford, N.J., and Justin Rosen of Coram, N.Y. When the complaints came piling in, the newspaper posted an editorial saying, “The Jewish Standard has always striven to draw the community together, rather than drive its many segments apart. We have decided, therefore, since this is such a divisive issue, not to run such announcements in the future.”

Now, after a new barrage of complaints from other factions within the Jewish community, the newspaper has rescinded its rescinding—kind of.

“…we believe now that we may have acted too quickly in issuing the follow-up statement, responding only to one segment of the community.” Choosing instead to urge everyone to “take a step back and reflect on what this series of events has taught us about the community we care so much about, and about the steps we must take to move forward together.”

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Add this to the list of reasons to love Christina Hendricks; in the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar, the voluptuous Mad Men star admitted that its not just men giving her curves attention—apparently, women appreciate her, too. In every sense of the word.

“Women hit on me.” Hendricks said. “My husband thinks it's so odd that so many women hit on me.”

Hendricks and her husband, Geoffrey Arend, also are regularly accosted by female fans singing the star’s praises. In the interview, she speaks of one night where a fan approached Hendricks and Arend at dinner and said, “’Excuse me, I just want to tell you that I watch your show, and you make me feel better about myself. I am a curvy woman, and you've made me feel sexy and beautiful.”

About the comment, the ever-gorgeous Hendricks admitted, “I got teary-eyed.” And we would too…if we weren’t still fantasizing about women hitting on her.